Abstract

BALSANELLI, Alice. Lacandon souls: a Study Concerning the Animistic Entities among the Jach Winik. LiminaR [online]. 2019, vol.17, n.2, pp.115-130. ISSN 2007-8900.  https://doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v17i2.688.

There is an extensive bibliography regarding the animistic conceptions in the Mayan area; nevertheless, there is no specific study on this topic as far as the Lacandon group is concerned. This article endeavors to offer a summary of this subject for academic purposes in which the Lacandon vital essences and their faculties are described: the soul-heart or pixan; the or or “spirit”; the kisin ‘ok: the entity that stays in human remains. This description allows us to reflect on the absence of the organic/inorganic dichotomy in Mayan thought. We compare these features with pre-Hispanic and other contemporary Maya groups. In addition, unpublished information gathered during extensive fieldwork is discussed.

Keywords : Lacandon; Mayan; animistic conceptions; pixan; soul-heart; eschatology.

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